This invention relates generally to packaging and conveying systems, and more particularly, to a system which is capable of reliably and efficiently separating handles and of subsequently inserting individual handles within the packages in order to produce a package having a handle fixedly secured thereto.
In the field of packaging articles and more specifically in the class of packages encompassing beverage carriers, it is of utmost importance to provide handles as part of the package. For example, beverage carriers which contain a plurality of bottles or cans therein and are provided with handles can be easily carried or transported from one location to the other in a safe and efficient manner.
A conventional procedure for producing such packages generally involves a three-step operation; (1) the manufacture of the package itself, (2) the filling of the package, with, for example, beverage bottles or cans, and (3) the attachment to the package of a handle.
Generally, the handles are either manually attached to the package or automatically secured to the package in an automated fashion by specifically designed machines. Unfortunately, manual attachment of the handle to the package is not only time consuming but as a consequence of the costs involved in maintaining a work staff, also extremely uneconomical. Mechanization of the procedure also leaves much to be desired since complex machinery is generally involved in not only separating the individual handles to be utilized with the completed packages but also in successfully attaching the handles to the packages. Thus, the added convenience of being able to easily carry a package such as a beverage carrier by means of handle may increase the overall cost of the item packaged to a point where providing handled packages, in most instances, is considered to be cost ineffective.
A need therefore arises in the packaging industry to produce a reliable and economical mechanized system for not only separating handles from a stack of handles but also to provide a capability within the system which permits the rapid securing of those handles to packages.